Contracts explain difference between Padres trades

Cincinnati Reds' Yonder Alonso rounds second base after hitting a home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Florida Marlins, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
— AP

Cincinnati Reds' Yonder Alonso rounds second base after hitting a home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Florida Marlins, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
/ AP

While Gonzalez was hitting .338 with 27 homers and 117 RBI for Boston this season, Rizzo was hitting .331 with 26 homers and 101 RBI for Triple-A Tucson (but only .141 with 46 strikeouts in 128 at-bats for the Padres), Kelly was 11-6 with a 3.98 ERA for Double-A San Antonio, Fuentes hit .275 with 41 steals for Single-A Lake Elsinore and Patterson is out of the organization after hitting .180 with the Padres.

•For Latos, who was 9-14 with a 3.74 ERA this season, the Padres received starting pitcher Edinson Volquez and three of the Reds’ top 10 prospects in Alonso, catcher Yasmani Grandal and right-handed reliever Brad Boxberger.

Because he was more successful at the major league level, Alonso moves ahead of Rizzo on the Padres' depth chart at first. The Padres also believe Alonso's line-drive stroke is better-suited to Petco Park.

Grandal is a switch-hitting catcher of great promise offensively and defensively. And Boxberger is projected to eventually be an eighth- or ninth-inning reliever.

However, while the Gonzalez and Latos trades might look similar on the surface, they were a lot different.

“Not even the analysts covering major league baseball very often explain years and control when it comes to trades,” explained Byrnes.

“That is as big a consideration as salary. That is why we had better offers for Mike Adams last July than we did for Heath Bell.”

As we know, Bell was only two months away from becoming a free agent at the July 31 trading deadline. Adams, meanwhile, was another full season away from free agency.

The Texas Rangers were willing to surrender starting pitching prospects Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland for Adams. They were not willing to give up the pair for Bell, knowing the closer could walk in two months.

Which is why the mercurial and promising Latos was worth more on the trade market this winter than Gonzalez was a year ago.

The Reds control Latos for four more seasons. He won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2015 season. Gonzalez, like Bell, was going to be a free agent after the 2011 season.

“There was a bigger and better market for Latos than there was for Gonzalez,” said Byrnes.

How can that be? Gonzalez was a three-time All-Star with the Padres. He was a model of consistency and a team leader. Latos had streaks of brilliance and trouble.

But approximately a dozen teams had talked to the Padres about Latos while only three teams contacted them last winter regarding solid deals for Gonzalez — and the White Sox pulled out early.

“Teams that weren’t going to be able to sign Adrian to a long-term contract weren’t that interested in talking about a deal that would last only one season,” said Byrnes.

Yes, there were teams that could afford to meet Gonzalez’s desire for a multiyear contract worth $22-$25 million annually. But most already had first basemen. Only the Red Sox and Cubs were actively pursuing Gonzalez.

Compared to the Gonzalez trade, the Padres also added payroll in the Latos trade.

While Latos figures to make around $500,000 next year in his third major league season, Volquez could make more than $2 million in his second season of being eligible for arbitration while Alonso has a major league contract calling for $1 million.